But his mum, Maryborough's Ashlee Reid, is struggling to prove his Australian citizenship to secure his passport so the two can travel to Fiji together in November for a friend's wedding.

Ms Reid's mother came to Australia from Britain in 1964 and was known colloquially as a "Ten Pound Pom", part of the wave of immigrants who came to Australia after the Second World War.

Maryborough's Ashlee Reid is struggling to prove her son Nate's Australian citizenship to get a passport.

Her mum was an Australian resident before becoming a citizen in 2010.

Along with her own identification, Ashlee used her mother's British passport to apply for her own passport.

But despite the fact that she was born in Sydney and her son was born in Hervey Bay, she is still having difficulty proving they are Australian citizens in order to secure Nate's passport, Ms Reid said.

Ms Reid has been told by Australian immigration authorities that she must become an Australian citizen or prove her citizenship in order to apply for a passport for Nate, leaving her in a state of confusion.

Ms Reid said despite the frustration, she did understand why the authorities had to be strict when it came to providing passports.

As well also attending a friend's wedding, Ms Reid would also celebrate her birthday during the trip and her mother, grandmother and partner were coming along.

"We're trying to do this as a family," she said.

"I really want Nate to be there."

A spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship confirmed that a law was passed in August, 1986, that meant that anyone born in Australia after that time would not automatically be an Australian citizen, unless they had a parent who was a citizen or a permanent resident.

Ms Reid was born in 1987.

The spokesman said Ms Reid would need to prove her citizenship in order to successfully apply for a passport for her son.

He said Ms Reid could apply to the Immigration Department for evidence of her citizenship.